Hosea 14:8

Our fruit comes from our God with respect to union. The fruit of the branch is directly traceable to the root. Sever the connection, the branch dies, and no fruit is produced. By virtue of our union with Christ, we bring forth fruit. Every bunch of grapes has first been in the root; it has passed through the stem, flowed through the sap vessels, and fashioned itself externally into fruit, but it was first in the stem. So also, every good work was first in Christ and then is brought forth in us. O Christian, prize this precious union with Christ; for it must be the source of all the fruitfulness you can hope to know. If you were not joined to Jesus Christ, you would be a barren bough indeed.

Our fruit comes from God with respect to spiritual providence. When the dew-drops fall from heaven, when the cloud looks down from on high and is about to distill its liquid treasure, when the bright sun swells the berries of the cluster, each heavenly boon may whisper to the tree and say, “From me your fruit is found.” The fruit owes much to the root—that is essential to fruitfulness—but it also owes very much to external influences. How much we owe to God’s grace-providence! For in it, He constantly provides us with quickening, teaching, consolation, strength, or whatever else we need. To this we owe all our usefulness or virtue.

Our fruit comes from God with respect to wise husbandry. The gardener’s sharp-edged knife promotes the fruitfulness of the tree, by thinning the clusters and by cutting off superfluous shoots. So it is, Christian, with that pruning which the Lord gives to you. My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Since our God is the author of our spiritual graces, let us give to Him all the glory of our salvation.